A traditional laser-based scanner converts laser light reflected off a bar code into a digitized bar pattern (DBP) using a digitizer. A first step in decoding the bar code is to locate a signal corresponding to the bar code within the DBP. This is typically accomplished using a center-out margin search to identify left and right margins of the bar code. Once the margin search has been completed, a decoder assumes that the signal between the left and right margins comprises the bar code and attempts to decode the signal. However, the decoding may fail when noise causes the digitizer to detect additional transitions leading to misidentification of the margins. The decoding may also fail for bar codes printed without quiet space (i.e., white space) around the left and right margins, e.g., reduced space symbology (RSS) bar codes. In addition, omni-dimensional scanning may contribute to the decoding failure. For example, gain control of the signal may be difficult, because successive scans may cross through surfaces of different reflectivity causing a high variance in signal levels. Thus, there is a need for a more accurate method of identifying the bar code within a scanner signal.